Steelers vs. Raiders: Top 5 bold predictions for Week 2

Steelers’ Chukwuma Okorafor gets benched

Easily the Steelers’ worst player from Week 1, Chukwuma Okorafor failed to do much of anything in his return to right tackle.

The expectations weren’t high, but somehow, he found a way to not even meet those lowly goals. Entering Week 2, Okorafor and the rest of the line are set to face a talented Raiders front seven that was successful in putting pressure on the Ravens a week ago.

This means another bad game from Okorafor, and this time, I think he gets benched.

Early in the game, Okorafor gets bull-rushed right into a Ben Roethlisberger sack. On the second drive, a similar rush leads to a Roethlisberger strip-sack that is recovered by the offense. By the third, the Steelers send out Joe Haeg to take on right tackle duties, a role that he isn’t great at, but just not as bad as Okorafor was.

Long term, I think this Raiders game is the last we see Okorafor as a traditional starter. Zach Banner returns and takes on his role as right tackle while Dan Moore continues to impress as the left tackle.

Okorafor sees the field as an injury replacement and tackle-eligible on occasion but ends up being inactive for much of the rest of the year. He seems to have hit his peak as a player, and that certainly isn’t good enough for him to be a starter.

The Steelers and Raiders will likely be one of the better Week 2 games, as both teams are looking to keep up with their fast starts.

Keep these bold predictions in mind as the Raiders travel to Pittsburgh to take on the black and gold this Sunday.